Making the choice to start a home-based education system may seem overwhelming and full of doubts. But, only in the beginning, let us assure you. If you have the required skill and passion, average managerial abilities, patience, and a little bit of help from the right people, you will be able to start your routine in less than 3 months. Today, we shall share with you how to start one of the most interesting and rewarding home based opportunities – home schooling.
If you are a homemaker, having a good academic background and a knack for teaching can start a home school. Home schooling is not another term for home-based public schools. Home schools are more like a tailor-made study package made for individual students with individual needs.
It is a completely different way of educating students. And a completely unique way to approach education. Home schools do not follow standard academic guidelines or curriculum that is meant for the mass students. At a time, you will be able to tutor not more than a bunch of students. Based on your schedule and the course you design, you will be able to educate 3 -4 students only. Home education caters special needs and its unique individualism makes this type of education more effective and comprehensive.
It is proven by science and psychology that children stand a better chance at succeeding in studies when parents are actively involved in the process. You do not have to be a trained professor to be able to educate your child or manage a home school or any other online learning program. But, what’s required is some kind of educational qualification, time commitment, and personal sacrifice. You have to be prepared to put 100 percent dedication and hard work.
Home schooling will actually cut back your child’s education expenses considerably. However, there are certain drawbacks to this. You cannot be a full time professional if you choose to be a home school tutor. Your family will have to survive on a single income and you will have to make quite a few sacrifices to reduce expenses. If you are already accustomed to a single income, then this could be the best option you can choose for you and your child.
This is not a hobby or passion. It is not home-based tuition either. This is going to be your child’s future school and therefore, you will really have to follow a strict schedule and a stringent routine to stay focus on completing your child’s education. For instance, you have to determine the number of classes or syllabuses your child will complete in a week and stick by it. You have to design a schedule that will work for you both equally. Consistency, meticulous planning, and lots of research will help you through this.
Your family should be in agreement with your decision to home school your children. Your husband or wife should support your decision and help you achieve your goals. If you believe home schooling is the most rational way to educate your children, you have to make some adjustment in your lifestyle. Make sure you discuss the idea with the child first before taking any drastic steps. Your child should happily embrace the idea; else the experience will be very difficult and punishing for him or her.
Children who are home schooled often are out of social leagues and extra curriculum activities. Both are in abundance in public and private schools. You have to take time to plan extracurricular activities or involve your children in community projects. You have to take complete charge of their social life and identify and manage as many opportunities as you can. Isolation and depression are the biggest foes in home schooling. You don’t want your child to be introverted and shy, do you? So, think of ways to eliminate these issues before you begin the transition process.
Patience is the biggest virtue and most important element in home schooling. You cannot be intimidated by the rigorous routine and adjustments of home schooling. It is a rewarding journey, but you have to be patient, have fun, be confident, and prepare adequately to have a successful experience. You should also be up and ready to experiment with different things. We shall discuss the nuances in the steps below.
It is a profession not meant for all. You have to be qualified in different subjects to be able to teach students one-on-one. Whatever you decide today will reflect in the next several years in your children. Make your willpower strong for there is no turning back once you decide to tutor your child. Let us go through the steps involved in starting a home school.
Before you plan for this, you will have to do a bit of research on the legalities. First, you have to find out the laws in your state pertaining to home schooling. The laws vary from state to state and country to country. While home education is legal in Canada and the US, it is not in Germany, North Korea, and many other Asian and European countries.
While standardized schools are regulated by the Federal government, home schools are regulated by the state. So, you will have to look up your state’s official website to find out the legal terms and regulations.
For instance, states like California require parents to register as private schools in order to teach their children at home and on the other hand, states like Pennsylvania require home-schooled students to take standardized tests just like day scholars.
If legalities look confusing and intimidating, do not go back. You need a lawyer who can walk you through the legal terms, guidelines and licensing requirements with regards to home schooling. You may also have to find out the tax obligations and any special permits needed to be applied.
Home school is a unique opportunity and you may not find many such facilities around often. So, you have to observe other home schooling in your area for inspiration. You can also join Facebook groups, home schooler’s community, read books, and look up the internet for blogs concerning home schooling and its various aspects.
The internet is the best source for information about this business. In fact, if you did not know, there are more than just one or two ways to home-school. Before you begin your journey, you need to figure out a method of home schooling and the way you are going to tutor.
You need to find encouragement and support. Therefore, you need to get in touch with local home schooling to understand how everything works and how to make everything work effectively.
One of the best advantages of home schooling is that it gives you the flexibility and freedom to decide what you want to teach and how you want to teach. You can plan a traditional school environment within your home for your children. The best way to open this type of home school is following a structured approach. Or you can choose one of the many methods to homeschool listed on the net. In most cases, people don’t recreate the school environment at home but allow children to learn in ways that are not possible in an institution.
Once you have decided what you want for your children, take a few days out, and make your children go through a period of deschooling, especially if they have been in a public school before this. The parent, as well as the child, needs to adjust to the new environment. The child has to let go the standard culture, norms, and practices of the previous school and explore new learning styles, methods, and environment before settling down for home schooling.
Few children take a while to deschool, few none at all, and few never. The longer a child has been in a school, the more time he/she takes to process the idea of learning as a home schooler. That is why deschooling is very crucial for the child to adjust. As a thumb rule, deschooling takes a month for each year of school a child has been.
Since you are moving away from the standardized curriculum that all public schoolsadhere to, you will have to decide your own curriculum & schedule for your homeschool. You have to first determine the child’s learning style and approach to home school. This will help you fix thecurriculum that fits your family and lifestyle the best. You may choose radicalunschooling or go by your child’s interest and passion. You may also discoverthat a set curriculum is not your choice but a lifestyle of learning is.Whatever you choose, know that a strict curriculum is not compulsory.
However, for more clarifications and inspirations browse through the internet for best home school curriculum sources. You will find plenty on the net, segregated from pre-kg to grade 12. Not only the curriculum, but you will also find an explosion of wonderful materials, tools and study materials for home school.
Your home school method, ideology, and curriculum should work in tandem. You can choose more than one method to tutor your child. In fact, you should try different approaches to see which one your child best complies with.
Once you have made your choices, it’s time to set everything in order. Home schools should be processed one day at a time. You will learn along with your child. For instance, prior to this, you would have had plenty of time to do house chores in peace while your children were at school. But now, with children at your toe, keeping up with the daily chores and errands can cause adjustment issues in the beginning. Time management skill is must in home schooling.
You have to set a routine for yourself, for your children, and for the work to be completed every day. In order to stay sane, and do not get burned out and end up getting emotionally charged, determine a routine for your housekeeping and meal planning first.
Organize study materials and tools once the home schooling supplies and books start to arrive. Work out a home school routine next. Sticking to the routine is very important and that should be a challenge you will have to overcome each day.
To make your things easy and quick, check the home school planner for the year. The planner says that the first thing needed for a successful home school is a Goal or a Target. You have to set daily, weekly, and monthly targets. Goals help you set criteria and parameters, keep you from buying too many books, and aid you in your child’s development.
Most likely, this is going to be your first experience at teaching and educating. You may often lose a nerve thinking about it. That’s why we said you will be needing support from the right people. You will have to identify support network and seek their aid. Support networks are available both online and offline.
Find your support at home school conventions, online forums, in bloggers and influential home school tutors. Your kids will also need friends and support in order to fight off isolation and boredom. Friends and support will provide the social environment that a public school offers and which lacks in home schooling.
Connect with other home school families and let your kids mingle with theirs. Social networking is really needed for skill improvement and skill practice. It also fights depression, isolation and other negative traits that being stuck bring.
This is your opportunity to tailor your children’s education and shape their future better. Help them meet their individual needs with extra care and a different set of curriculum. If you are encouraged by this article, then we suggest that you go through our website. We have plenty of freelance, home-based businesses up there that you can consider taking up as your side-business to support your home schooling.